I discussed with Jaydn the elements of high-level descriptive writing that includes vivid sensory details that paint a picture and appeals to all of the reader's senses of sight, hearing, touch, and taste, when appropriate. I modeled effective descriptive writing and then she wrote a descriptive essay describing her mother.

Lesson resumed with deaf culture and history.

Lesson related to the Deaf culture and history.

Absent

The plan was to introduce Jaydn to the similarities and differences between types of quadrilaterals. Then we could group quadrilaterals as types of parallelograms vs other types. In the first group we would list parallelograms, rhombi, rectangles, and squares. In the second, we could list kites and trapezoids. Then we could list properties of different quadrilaterals depending on their similarity or difference with parallelograms. Unfortunately, Jaydn was not available for in-person or virtual instruction. There was no assignment.

Jaydn read, analyzed, and discussed O. Henry's short story The Gift of the Magi. She then wrote responses to questions concerning the theme of selflessness and unconditional love. She also wrote to analyze the last three sentences of the short story.

Jaydn completed the reading of A Thousand Splendid Suns yesterday. After analyzing the novel together, she wrote an analysis essay comparing and contrasting the two protagonists and the trait that connected them.

I continued Jaydn's semester review covering angle relationships between parallel lines, triangle angles, and polygon angles. We worked some problems identifying corresponding angles and sides between two congruent triangles. There was no assignment.

For centuries, people in the Russian Empire were poor and lacked the standard of life in the the West. In 1848, Karl Marx wrote a manifesto about an ideology called "Communism." Vladimir Lenin read this manifesto and loved the idea of a Communist Utopia. Years later, countries throughout Europe were experiencing another Industrial Revolution. In Russia with feudalism still present, most Russians were living in extreme poverty under the autocracy of Tsar. After the death of Nicholas I, Alexander II became Tsar of the empire. He created many reforms, which emancipated the serfs. When Alexander was assassinated in March 1881, his son, Alexander III, became Tsar. Alexander III reversed his father's reforms, repressed Non-Russians, and created a secret police named the "Okhrana." He died due to kidney inflammation, and his childish son, Nicholas II, became Tsar Nicholas who was unpopular among the Russian public. Many people wanted to install a republic in Russia. Still, several people, most notably Vladimir Lenin who was living abroad in exile wanted to replace the autocracy of the Tsars with Communism. In Europe, Lenin joined other Communist Russians. Lenin would create a division in the group by starting his own radical faction called the Bolsheviks. In the meantime the Russian empire industrialized. This led to multiple revolts led by peasants, workers, etc. Nicholas led Russia into a war with Japan. Still, the Russian army suffered numerous defeats, and the whole country was angry. Leon Trotsky created the Soviets, and the navy started to mutiny. However, Nicholas defeated the protesters. Nicolas II then increased repression all over Russia. Grigori Rasputin became famous for his "healing" powers, then came to good terms with Nicholas after supposedly helping his son's hemophelia. Rasputin abused his favor and position with the royal family and his conduct will cost all of them dearly.

Lesson related to feeling, facial expression, and emotional signs.